We didn't get up until 11am this morning, not because we went to bed late or were partying. You just seem to sleep longer when there isn't much daylight. It is still night dark until about 10am and the light will be completely gone again by 3:30pm. Bearing in mind that during that time there is still dawn and dusk, it leaves very little time for actual daylight hours. The temperatures were checked before we decided what to do today. It was -25c at cabin and dow...

The alarm was set for 8:30am and it was a real struggle to get up in the dark. We threw some clothes on and walked along the path from the cabin to the house for coffee and cakes. Feeling a bit more awake after the caffeine and sugar, David set about chopping some firewood for everywhere there was a fireplace. After some porridge, we packed the car and headed to Äkäslompolo, a small village on the western side of the Ylläs fell and ski resort. ...

Christmas Day and we didn't get up until the sun was beginning to rise which in Lapland, at this time of year, is pretty late in the morning. Looking out towards the south there was a nice orange glow on the horizon. We ran from the cabin to the house for coffee and cakes, the breakfast before breakfast. Katja was making rice porridge this morning, and making it with tons of butter. It always tastes good but with an extra quarter pack of butter in it, it was ta...

Christmas is celebrated on the 24th in Finland. Families meet up and exchange gifts, they might even get a visit from Santa who will give out the presents. It was a really cold morning, a really, really cold morning - the mercury was showing it was -29c and the digital thermometer was -27.5c. So whether it was one or the other, or somewhere in between, it was cold! The windows of the cottage had beautiful ice crystals. Looking beyond the ice crystals, it was...